Sketches for a Wall Tomb with Skeletons 1630 - 1640

Gian Lorenzo Bernini's "Sketches for a Wall Tomb with Skeletons" (1630-1640) is a preparatory drawing for a monumental tomb. The design features two skeletal figures with wings, holding aloft a draped cloth, with an urn and more skeletal figures above, a powerful reminder of mortality and the ephemerality of life. The drawing's loose, expressive lines reveal the artist's working process, suggesting a dynamic and dramatic design for the finished sculpture. This sketch demonstrates the artist's exploration of form and composition, and the powerful effect that Bernini could achieve in both his drawings and sculptures.